FTCT Named One of Oklahoma's Top Workplaces, Third Consecutive Year

Posted by Emory Mills on 12/11/2016

Who determines Top Workplaces? Those who know them best: the employees.The Oklahomanpartnered with Philadelphia-based WorkplaceDynamics, the employee research and consulting firm, to determine the region's Top Workplaces rankings.

What Our Employees Had to Say:

"I feel like a part of something meaningful. It's more than just another driving job."

"They always seek ways to better the workplace for all employees by asking for constant input."

"I can be a part of a community by delivering the goods they need."

"Good equipment, good living and good benefits."

Beginning in June,The Oklahomanran articles and advertisements encouraging employees in the region to nominate companies as Top Workplaces. WorkplaceDynamics invited those companies, as well as other organizations in the region, to participate in the program.

Anyone could nominate a company. The only requirement was that the organization must employ at least 35 people in Oklahoma. The organization could be public, private, nonprofit or governmental.

WorkplaceDynamics invited 1,328 workplaces to participate and surveyed 92 of them. Only those organizations that agreed to participate were included in the surveys. The surveyed firms employ 25,533 people in Oklahoma. Of those employees who received questionnaires, 16,723 responded, either on paper or online.

“Time and time again, our research has proven that what's most important to them is a strong belief in where the organization is headed, how it's going to get there, and the feeling that everyone is in it together,” said Doug Claffey, CEO of WorkplaceDynamics.

In addition, the survey asks employees about other factors:

•Employee Engagement — loyalty, motivation, and referral

•Leader — confidence in company leadership

•The Basics — Pay, benefits, flexibility

Statements relating to “Connection” and “Alignment” were among the most important to employees, while statements about pay and benefits rated among the least important.

“While pay and benefits remain important to a point, they do not make a bad workplace better,” Claffey said.

After employees completed the surveys, WorkplaceDynamics ran statistical tests to look for any questionable results. (It sometimes will disqualify a small number of employers based on those tests.)

Employers were categorized into size bands, because “smaller employers tend to score higher than midsize employers, and midsize employers tend to score higher than large employers,” Claffey said.

The employers were ranked within their size band based solely on employee responses to the survey statements. The top employers in each size band were selected as Top Workplaces in Oklahoma for 2016. WorkplaceDynamics also determined a list of special awards based on standout scores on specific survey statements.

Why is a particular employer not on the list? Perhaps the company took the survey and scored too low. Or, it might have chosen not to participate.

“We hope more Oklahoma employers take the time next year to survey their employees and see where they stand,” Claffey said.